The Dental CEO Podcast

What if you could work one day a week clinically and take home more than you do now?In Part 1 of this two-part series, Dr. Scott Leune lays out the strategy he’s used for more than a decade to help dentists grow from one practice to five, without the crushing workload that drives so many multi-practice owners to sell out of desperation.Most dentists expand by adding associates and locations while staying the general dentist everyone needs. Their expenses rise, their profit doesn’t, and their stress doubles. Scott explains a completely different path that starts with building a “lifestyle practice”: one location that gives you time freedom, financial freedom, and a team that runs the practice day to day.You’ll learn:Why your first goal isn’t more locations, but freedom from the hygiene chairHow doing bigger cases one day a week can replace four days of general dentistry incomeThe math behind keeping 90% of what you produce when associates cover your overheadWhy you should get overhead under control before you hire your first associateHow to build an office manager role that handles 95% of day-to-day decisionsThe “closed-door policy” that protects your time and keeps the practice running without youIf you’re dreaming of multiple locations, or just want your life back, this episode is your blueprint. Part 2, on scaling from one practice to five, drops next week.In this episode:02:01 Why most dentists build multiple practices the wrong way04:56 The ground rules for growing to five practices07:00 What a lifestyle practice is, and why it might be your finish line09:07 Breaking free from the hygiene chair10:02 Why big-case dentistry is the key to time freedom13:09 The math: keeping 90% of what you produce17:07 The path from solo dentist to freedom21:02 Why overhead comes before your first associate24:00 Adding associates while building your specialty schedule27:10 Building a practice that runs without you29:56 Defining the office manager role34:38 The closed-door policy that protects your time37:07 The mistake most multi-practice owners makeLinks:Scott Leune Education: scottleune.comListen and subscribe: dentalceopodcast.com

Dr. Dan Auprix sees patients just two hours a day, and his practice is on track for $6.8 million.In this episode of The Dental CEO Podcast, Dr. Scott Leune sits down with Dan, a 36-year-old dentist in Ottawa, Canada, who bought a three-operatory practice collecting $450,000 a year and grew it into a seven-operatory practice trending toward $6.8 million, while cutting his overhead from 57% to 42%.The turning point? Cutting his clinical schedule to 14 hours a week. Dan explains why stepping out of the operatory made him more productive, and how he used the extra time to finally fix the business side of his practice.You’ll learn:How cutting supply costs from 12% to under 4% took just one month and one simple ruleWhy most practice owners have no idea how many calls they’re missingHow preventive hygiene and hybrid hygienist pay turned hygiene into a profit centerWhy paying your team more can actually lower your overheadIf you’re stuck in the operatory with no time to grow your business, this episode is your blueprint for leading like a CEO.In this episode:03:54 From associate to two-practice owner06:02 Buying a $450K practice09:27 The 2-hour schedule that changed everything11:54 Inside Dan’s 14-hour clinical week15:47 How he cut overhead from 57% to 42%17:06 Slashing supply costs from 12% to under 4%20:12 Turning hygiene into a profit center21:01 Fixing the phones and tracking missed calls22:33 Why paying your team more pays offLinks:Scott Leune Education: scottleune.comListen and subscribe: dentalceopodcast.comEnjoyed this episode? Subscribe and leave a review. It helps more dentists find the show.

Only 15 to 20% of dental practices are on the cloud. Curve Dental CEO Dave Cormack explains why the rest may be about to fall behind.In this episode of The Dental CEO Podcast, Dr. Scott Leune sits down with Dave Cormack, CEO of Curve Dental, chairman and majority owner of Scotland’s Aberdeen Football Club, and a 44-year software veteran who has built and sold multiple companies.Dave explains why he believes the dental software industry is heading into a “death spiral” that not every company will survive, and why Curve is investing $200 million more into its platform. He also shares why practices on old server-based systems may miss out on the biggest benefits of AI, how a properly executed data conversion can uncover money hiding in your old AR, and why “one throat to choke” beats juggling six or seven software vendors.Plus, Dave opens up about growing up with no running water, buying his hometown soccer club, and the philanthropy he and his wife lead around the world.In this episode:03:36 Dave’s 44-year journey in software07:10 Why only 15–20% of practices are on the cloud10:29 All-in-one platforms vs. “taped together” software17:16 The $200M investment and the software “death spiral”21:22 Why the cloud matters for AI24:09 Owning Aberdeen Football Club29:14 How data conversion can uncover hidden revenue33:49 Philanthropy and building a life with purposeLinks:Curve Dental: [curvedental.com]Scott Leune Education: scottleune.comListen and subscribe: dentalceopodcast.comEnjoyed this episode? Subscribe and leave a review. It helps more dentists find the show.

The rules of dental student loans just changed, and most dentists have no idea what it means for them.The One Big Beautiful Bill Act capped federal student loans at $200,000 for dental students, down from a system that previously allowed borrowers to cover the full cost of attendance. For dental schools that cost $600,000 to $1,000,000 to attend, that means the gap now has to be filled with private loans at rates as high as 18%, requiring co-signers and offering zero forgiveness options. In practical terms, the Big Beautiful Bill just made dental school twice as expensive for most incoming students.In this episode, Scott Leune sits down with Dan Rooker, founder of Grad Loan Advice and one of the country's few Certified Student Loan Professionals, to break down exactly what changed and what every current dentist and dental student needs to know.Dan and Scott cover:Why the $200,000 federal loan cap will change the financial trajectory of every dentist graduating from 2026 forwardThe difference between federal and private loans and why private loans are now the biggest debt burdenThe Repayment Assistance Program strategy that can reduce your first-year payment to $10 per monthHow to use tax filing timing to eliminate an entire year of interest accrualWhy forgiveness exists on federal loans but not private, and what that means for your career decisionsThe specific circumstances where filing married-filing-separately can save borrowers thousandsPublic Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) opportunities most dentists never considerThe one-time-only 1% autopay discount deadline that could save $6,000+ on a $600K loanWhy every new dentist needs a student loan consultant on their team alongside their CPA and financial plannerWhether you're a dental student, a new graduate carrying debt, or a practice owner still working through your own loans, this episode delivers the tactical, timely information most dentists never get.Learn more about Dan Rooker and Grad Loan Advice: gradloanadvice.comSpecial offer for Dental CEO Podcast listeners: Dan is extending a discounted rate on his one-hour student loan consultation for anyone who mentions the show.🎧 Listen and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts: dentalceopodcast.com

Selling your dental practice to a DSO? Some dentists who took part of their payout in DSO equity may end up with nothing to show for it.In this episode, Scott Leune sits down with Kevin Cumbus, founder and president of Tusk Practice Sales, to break down what's really happening in the DSO market today and how to protect yourself before you sell. Kevin's firm has completed about $1.5 billion in dental practice transactions over the last decade, exclusively representing dentists who are selling.Of the roughly 150 private equity-backed DSOs today, about half have stopped acquiring practices. One prominent attorney in the space believes 30–40% of them won't recover, which means the equity dentists rolled into those DSOs could be worthless.In this episode, you'll learn:What happened to the DSO market, and why lower interest rates alone won't fix itHow valuations have shifted: a $1M EBITDA practice that traded at 8–9x in 2021 is closer to 6–7x todayWhy smaller groups ($1M–$3M EBITDA) are holding their value while larger groups are penalized for riskWhat private equity looks for in a platform, and how that differs from selling to an existing DSOHow deal structures have changed, from 80% cash at close to 70/30 or 60/40 cash-to-equityThe difference between HoldCo equity and joint venture (JV) equity, and why it matters for your payoutManagement fees of 3–8% of revenue, and what they can do to your distributionsHow to keep growing and share in the upside after you sellWhy the highest offer isn't always the right oneWhether you own one practice or a growing group, this episode will help you understand your options before a DSO comes calling.⏱️ Timestamps00:00 Intro02:09 Meet Kevin Cumbus of Tusk Practice Sales04:45 What happened to the DSO market06:38 Why 30–40% of DSOs may not recover09:52 Why five-year employment agreements are now a problem11:57 DSO 1.0, 2.0 and 3.0: the rise of JV equity13:53 Valuations then vs. now16:29 How multiples change by EBITDA size18:16 Multiple arbitrage and "growing down" your multiple22:18 What private equity looks for in a platform24:23 Deal structures: private equity vs. DSO31:38 The truth about management fees37:26 Selling while still growing41:28 Choosing the right partner, not just the highest offer46:11 A message of hope for private dentists🔗 Connect with Kevin Cumbus and Tusk Practice Sales: [TUSK WEBSITE]💰 This episode is sponsored by the Private Dental Alliance, helping private dentists get DSO-level pricing on equipment, supplies, and lab fees. Text SAVINGS to 48659 to see how much you could save.🎧 Listen and subscribe: https://dentalceopodcast.comAvailable on Apple Podcasts, YouTube, and Spotify.